Archives for April 2018

Mark your calendars – the DAL 200th Anniversary Tree Plant will take place on June 9, 2018. Volunteers are welcome to join the celebration. Led by urban forest researcher Dr. Peter Duinker, the DAL 200 Tree Plant project will see 200 trees planted around campus in partnership with HRM, Facilities Management, and the Office of Sustainability.

December 2017, three students, Racheal Cadman, Sara Solaimani, Nameeta Sharma came together to create a remarkable legacy to celebrate Dalhousie University’s 200th anniversary. Their presentation of “A Class Project on the 200 in 200 Dal Tree-Plant Project” was prepared as part of the Peter Duinker Class on Sustainable Urban Forest.

CFAME Connection reached out to Dr. Peter Duinker, Professor and Acting Director, School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Management, to uncover the back story of this innovative idea. What came back was a professional, detailed and carefully organized proposal designed to encourage community engagement in sustainable living.

CFAME Connection is pleased to advise that Dr. Duinker and the three students, Racheal Cadman, Sara Solaimani, Nameeta Sharma, have graciously agreed to share their project in a series of posts leading up to June 9, 2018 event. The following is an excerpt from the Student proposal:

In 2018, Dalhousie University will celebrate its 200th anniversary. The school has made a number of celebratory plans that will take place over the course of the year. To participate in the celebrations, the Faculty of Management will lead a day-long tree planting event on campus. A preparatory plan for that event is outlined here.

The Dal 200th Anniversary Tree Plant will take place on June 9, 2018. In honour of the anniversary, 200 trees will be planted on the Studley and Sexton campuses. Rather than plant trees haphazardly around the school, however, these 200 trees will be planted in small stands at strategic points where students will be able to enjoy them.

The stands will consist almost exclusively of tree species native to Nova Scotia, with one exceptional stand native to the Carolinian forest. These species were carefully selected and combined into groves that reflect the composition of forest stands growing naturally in Nova Scotia. This will not only increase canopy cover and beautify the campus for future generations, but will also be educational spaces, where students, faculty and employees of Dalhousie can learn about native tree species and experience natural forest growth. The tree stands are therefore called “learning groves”, to reflect their intended educative purpose.

Photo Credit: Dr. Peter Duinker

This post is the first in a series that will feature the DAL200 project that will see 200 trees planted around campus. This project is championed by urban forest researcher Peter Duinker and his students, in partnership with HRM, Facilities Management, and the Office of Sustainability.

“Health Canada’s front-of-packaging proposal is clearly a step in the right direction. It empowers consumers to make better, more informed choices without overprotecting them. But there is one thing missing,…”Dr. Sylvain Charlebois

Dr. Sylvain CharleboisDean, Faculty of Management

When it comes to food, the current government is big on consultations. Health Canada has recently launched online public consultations and will be conducting consumer-oriented research to assess which formula works best for front-of-package labelling. Four models have been presented as Health Canada appears to want to keep its options open. From the looks of it, however, all of the logos look the same. Regardless, saturated fats, sugar and sodium are targeted and are intended to be predominantly placed on the labels on all packaged goods sold in Canada.

The new suggested label policy appears to be straightforward. All food products that include more than 15% of the daily recommended consumption of each ingredient will be labelled at the top of the package. Raw commodities with natural ingredients, such as maple syrup or meat products, will be exempt, which makes perfect sense.

Front-of-package nutrition symbols and notices are presumably noticeable and require minimal prior nutrition knowledge to use. The label needs to be clear and simple, which is exactly what Health Canada is proposing. But simplicity does not necessarily guarantee a confusion-free experience.

Although individuals pay attention to sugar, fat, and sodium, they may rely on these nutrients to the exclusion of others. One can argue that the more time individuals spend eating sugar, fat, and sodium, the lower their grasp in determining which product is healthy. The policy, as presented by Health Canada, appears to over-value certain nutrients. This may lead consumers away from buying certain nutrients and encourage the purchase of others. For example, certain packaged cheeses which may be high in fat but are rich in other important nutrients such as vitamins C, D and calcium. One good step is that calories are not emphasized. Studies suggest that calories are over-used and can interfere with selecting a healthier product.

Beyond the proposed front-of-packaging labels, one issue that should be underscored is the accuracy of the nutritional labels. Many studies have shown that sodium and fats are often underreported. This should be monitored more often to make sure that labels are accurate. This could also reduce chances of seeing fraudulent food products and cases of adulteration.

Simplicity has its challenges and unfortunate limitations, and industry has expressed concerns and even some level of opposition. A likely beneficial outcome would be to see food manufacturers return to their drawing boards to reformulate some of the food products that they have been marketing for decades. Some could choose to discontinue entire product lines. It will be interesting to see how industry adapts.

Given the pressures of everyday life, Health Canada’s plan is likely the most effective way to let consumers know what to look for. In order for the new labelling rules to be effective, the labels should go a little further. The new labelling policy should have colour and words that indicate levels. Studies show that the traffic light system is the best example for such a design. According to a few studies around the world, consumers exposed to the green-yellow-red scheme of colours are three times more likely to identify the healthier food products than consumers using other systems. Over time, consumers understand that the health value of food products can be assessed in relative terms. Right now, Health Canada’s approach is dangerously binary and does not allow for some interpretation and enhanced nutritional literacy.

Some are also suggesting that the new plan does not go far enough. Several groups and experts claim that cartoons and colourful packaging ought to be banned. It is known that products that seek to engage children with their packaging are significantly less nourishing than foods that do not. However, with clear and unassuming front-of-package labels, the information would provide parents with the necessary tools to properly make decisions for themselves and their children. There is a delicate balance between giving the proper information to consumers and overprotecting society in general. Overprotection rarely entices consumers to become better educated about important issues such as proper nutrition. New policies should encourage consumers to make healthier choices, and not necessarily protecting them from themselves.

Overall, short of a traffic light-esque approach, Health Canada appears to be striking the right balance between labelling simplicity and effectiveness. There also appears to be some momentum towards more of these new labelling policies around the world, so Canada is not a lone wolf. Several countries, including Australia, are looking at making changes simultaneously. Importers will not see this new approach as an obstacle, or at least, it should not become a deterrent which could potentially limit trades. For our own food security and economic welfare, this is something we need to keep in mind as we try to empower consumers with more information about the food they eat.

Ever since the ancient Greeks refused to do any work and sat around discussing where we came from to modern times, where the Brain asked his e’er unanswered question, “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?“, mankind (and apparently, mousekind) has pondered the vicissitudes of life. Where did we come from? Why are we here? How come the “Snuggie” exists?

These are the questions that have plagued us since the beginning. After centuries of pondering these conundrums and after multiple methods of experimentation, someone invented something called a thought experiment, defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy as “devices of the imagination used to investigate the nature of things.”

I was first introduced to thought experiments through Farnham Street, a regular blog that encourages people to think outside their normal thought processes. (There is a clear line to the MBA here, as the author regularly references Charlie Munger, a student of multiple disciplines and long-time business partner of Warren Buffet.) It was this blog that also introduced me to the book, The Pig That Wants to be Eaten by Julian Baggini.

Aptly subtitled “100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher”, Baggini’s book explores unique moral and ethical questions, some of which are so bizarre that one fully expects Rod Serling to appear at any moment. The experiments are brief, about a page in length each, and allow for rumination or discussion (try reading one at the dinner table…mostly blank stares) Each thought experiment is then followed up by Baggini’s input and opinion. (Baggini is the co-founder of the Philosopher’s Magazine, so he has plenty of input to offer.)

Some of the experiments are based in the classics, like Racing Tortoises, which is based on Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare. In this experiment, the basic principles of physics are on trial. How is it possible that Achilles could lose a foot race to a tortoise? Do we apply logic and the immutable laws of physics or rely on experiences and fanciful notion of what could be?

Other experiments are based on more recent ideas, such as The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten, which is loosely based on Douglas Adams’ The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Here the thought is: is it morally wrong to eat meat and, if so, if there was a genetically modified animal that wanted to be eaten, is it still wrong to eat it? If we refuse to eat it, we are denying the pig’s sole desire in life. Is it wrong to deprive him/her of that? (I’m sure PETA would have an opinion on this question!)

There is also a throwback to Star Trek in Beam Me Up… where a lawsuit is pending against a company that builds transporters. The lawsuit claims that a person is not actually transported but is killed in the process and a clone arrives at the destination in their place. This experiment explores the fact that a person’s mind and soul are continuous and more important than their bodies and the body is merely a container. That being said, if a person’s body is entirely irrelevant and only the continuation of soul and mind are important, can murder exist?

Baggini references The Matrix [I am a Brain] and Minority Report [Pre-emptive Justice] and touches on current subjects like terrorism [The Torture Option] and war [No One Wins]. The book is not difficult to read and provides entertaining and thought-provoking questions and encourages the reader to adopt a unique perspective. Also, because of the layout, the book does not need to be read cover to cover. It can be picked up when convenient as each experiment stands on its own. If you are new to philosophy or just want some short, entertaining experiments to work through, The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten may be a good place to start.

“Imagination without reason is mere fancy, while reason without imagination is sterile.”

Julian Baggini

Scott Coghill MBA(FS) 2016, Senior Manager, Commercial Banking and Real Estate at National Bank of Canada, delivers innovative financing and investment solutions for growing businesses.Working with the Specialized Lending Sector, Scott is responsible for the maintenance, growth and development of the Commercial Real Estate sector in Southwestern Ontario. Scott has graciously agreed to be a repeat contributor on CFAME Connection.